XXX 
TAILS AND WINGS AS NUPTIAL LIVERY 383 
birds which assume an extravagant wooing-dress than 
those of the wings ; but in some Nightjars the wing- 
feathers are strangely lengthened. The nightjar family 
has soft owl-like plumage, which is peculiarly modified 
in some species. Among those living in Africa, two, 
the Racket-winged and the Pennant-winged species, are 
The Pennant-winged Nightjar {Cosmetornis vexillarius). 
“ The aeronaut of the dusky evening.” In the even¬ 
tide they look like ghosts as they Hit in and out of the 
long grass. 
remarkable for peculiar modifications of certain feathers 
in their wings. 
The Racket-winged Nightjar has the ninth primary 
elongated in each wing: it appears with a long bare 
shaft and a racket-like tip. When flying in the 
dusk it gives the impression of being three birds— 
a big bird with two smaller birds mobbing it. Some¬ 
times it resembles a fluttering kite. This species 
occurs in the Rift Valley and especially round Lake 
